Arsene Wenger has urged Arsenal not to respond to Diego Costa’s antics, ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea on Saturday.
The Spain international, who has scored five goals in as many league appearances in the present campaign, was a handful for the Gunners in the two Premier League matches between the clubs last season.
Costa had a hand in Gabriel Paulista and Santi Cazorla being sent off in the 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in September 2015 before Per Mertesacker received a straight red for a clumsy tackle on the striker in the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium in January, with Chelsea winning that game 1-0.
And Wenger, who insisted that Arsenal were unlucky with the sending offs at Stamford Bridge, however, admitted that Mertesacker’s red card was the right call by the referee in the reverse fixture.
Hence, the Frenchman called on his charges to be “cold-blooded” and unresponsive against Costa on Saturday.
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“[The best way to handle him is] by being completely cold-blooded, just focus on the game and don’t respond”, he said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“Just try to negate his qualities and his game. You need to be committed but by respecting the rules of the game and not responding.
“Last year we were a bit unlucky at Chelsea to be down to 10 men because we got a red card and it was [rescinded] after.
“In the other game, we deserved the red card because we were caught on a quality run by [Costa].”
Costa scored in both of league meetings against Arsenal last season.
